1 Nephi 8:13

13 And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.

What an interesting image that is used to symbolize the division between the wicked and the righteous. This is the interpretation that was given to Nephi in 1 Nephi 12:16–18. Not only does it separate the wicked from the Tree of Life, it represents the depths of hell. This is the illustration I think is so interesting here: the contrast between the love of God and its rewards, and the depths of hell. The tree is solid and bears delicious fruit, while the river is shifting and ever changing its filthy contents. It has no fruit, but the water conforms its standard to whatever its surroundings happen to be. It is always trying to erode its banks or boundaries, so those standards, if you will, are always shifting. Satan works that way and would have us believe that truth itself and standards of righteousness are what is shifting relative to their circumstances. This includes situations you are in and where you happen to be in history. In other words, whatever the standards of the world are determines whether something is right or wrong. Standards of morality, for example, are based on what is acceptable and tolerable to the society in general, not on what is acceptable to the Lord. If adultery is not punishable by law, it must be ok, for example. Another example of that is plural marriage. In some societies it is acceptable, in others it is not. The Lord’s standards are not based on what is socially acceptable, but man’s standards often are. So I think the shifting nature of a river is an appropriate symbol for hell.

• 1 Nephi 15:26–27 (26–29)

1 Nephi 8:12

12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.

This verse has a couple of significant points. First is the joy Lehi felt after partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Life. The whole purpose of man, or at the main purpose of man, is to have joy (2 Nephi 2:25). We gain that joy by coming to Christ and partaking of His love. Lehi found that joy was the most desirable thing, “above all other fruit.” It seems that a person’s main objective in life is to find joy or true happiness. Realizing this, Satan provides many activities that provide a false or counterfeit form of happiness, but as Alma says, “Wickedness never was happiness.” (Alma 41:10) The more fully we keep the commandments, the more we are encircled in God’s love, and the more joy we feel, even to a fullness of joy.

The next point in this verse is that once you fully partake, you want to share with your loved ones. If you love someone, you want him or her to feel the same joy and happiness you feel. Not so much with Satan’s counterfeit. The person pursuing Satan’s version of “happiness” may want others to be in the same situation they are in, but the feeling is pretty selfish. The cliché, “Misery loves company,” applies here. They may want to drag others in, but it’s not so the others can feel happy, it’s more so the one doing the dragging can feel like they aren’t the only one messing up. You can plug in any kind of vice (i.e. Satan’s addictions) here, and see that the motivation is different from Lehi’s motivation to share the fruit with his family.

• 2 Nephi 2:25
• Psalm 16:11
• John 15:7–11
• Alma 41:10

1 Nephi 8:11

11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.

The Tree of Life, or Love of God, is offered freely to all, but only those who make the effort to go to the tree, actively seeking that love are able to enjoy its fruit. And the fruit of this tree is desirable. It is white, or pure, more pure than anything we can experience in this life. The closest we come is charity, which Mormon defines as the “pure love of Christ.” (Moroni 7:47) Charity is one of the fruits of the Tree of Life. Again, the tree is offered to us all, but it doesn’t come to us without effort on our part. We must approach the Tree. If we wait for the Tree to come to us, we miss the mark. It must be our effort that brings us the fruits of God’s love.

• Moroni 7:47
• Matthew 7:17–20
• 3 Nephi 14:17–20

1 Nephi 8:10

10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.

I’ve been studying and pondering this Tree of Life and its meaning for several days now, and I don’t think I yet comprehend all the implications of it. So I’m glad this will not be the last chance to write about this tree and its fruit.

The Tree of Life is a symbol of God’s love, and interestingly is found in several ancient civilizations. The fruit of that love makes us happy and fulfilled. As I think about people who clearly have come to this tree or partaken of its fruit, the personal traits they possess are things like self-confidence, peace, and an understanding of who they are. It’s interesting to note that while the tree is offered and available to all men, only those who make the effort to come to it get to partake of its beauty and fruit. I had a religion teacher at BYU, Joseph R. McConkie, who taught us that God’s love is conditional, contrary to what the world, and often the members of this Church teach. It’s conditional on us making that effort to come and partake of it. Yes, it is offered to all unconditionally, but only those who come to Him actually receive the benefits of His love. If you consider love and hate as verbs instead of feelings, this is more easily understood. The Lord loves and supports His people more than His enemies. In that sense the love of God is conditional on us becoming His people. The way we signify that is through taking on us the saving ordinances, such as baptism. In other words, we make a covenant.

The relationship we have with God has been compared many times in the scriptures to a marriage covenant, and it’s a great metaphor. I have a covenant relationship with my wife and children that sets them apart from everyone else in the world. That doesn’t mean I don’t love other women and children, but I certainly don’t have the kind of relationship with them that I do with my own wife and children. The covenant makes all the difference. And just like that, the Lord loves all of us, but I believe He holds a special place in his heart, or has a special kind of love and relationship with those who are willing to make a covenant with him. In this case, that covenant is symbolized by taking the fruit of the Tree of Life.

• Revelation 22:1–6
• 2 Nephi 2:15,25

1 Nephi 8:9

9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.

After praying for deliverance from the dark and dreary waste, Lehi is shown a large and spacious field. In other scripture the field represents the World (see Matthew 13:38; 1 Nephi 8:20, for example), which Lehi could not see before he prayed to essentially have the Light of Christ. After he received that light he was able to see the world (field). There are people who think that those who accept the Lord are not being realistic, that they are blinding themselves to the world around them, that faith is God is blind faith. I think the opposite is true. I think that through the light of Christ we can have a more clear view of what the world really is. We can not only see the problems, but we also see the love of God, as Lehi will describe in the next verse as a tree with desirable fruit. Whitout that light, all there is to the world is darkness and dreariness — no hope, no life. That’s a sad state to be in, and much less realistic that a life with Christ.

1 Nephi 8:7–8

7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.

8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.

If this dark and dreary waste is representative of a life without God, then the only way to leave that condition is to pray for His mercy to forgive you for being in that condition and take you out of it. In other words, by inviting the Lord into our lives, He can take us out of the “dark and dreary” condition. Proverbs 29:18 tells us that where there is no vision we (the people) perish. That vision or revelation comes from the Lord through prayer. This is how we get out of our own personal “dark and dreary waste” where there is no vision and no hope. Dark = no vision; dreary = no hope.

• Proverbs 29:18

1 Nephi 8:5–6

5 And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.

6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.

It’s not clear whether this man in the white robe is the Lord Himself, or an angel sent for the purpose. But he seems to be a sort of tour guide, leading Lehi through this dream.